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Earldom of Taenia
Taenia is an earldom located just north of the Earldom of Storm's Crag, ruled over ancestrally by the House of Grimwold. Having been part of the conglomeration of earldoms and baronies that made up the Fallow Crest, Taenia was one of the last earldoms to fall. Holding out against the Forsaken, Taenia closed their borders to their fellow Gilneans at the Rediron Gates, a series of walls that were barred shut. Ultimately, when the Kor'kagal Warband landed in the Ashen Coast, Taenia fell under the Orcish onslaught as well as the remnant of Forsaken interaction. During the period of the Gilnean Liberation Front, Taenia fell to the Forsaken and Orcs before the Front could reach them. With the orcs in control of the Redirons, the region was left behind as the Forsaken began to retreat. Unable to get past the Gilnean Liberation Front and then complicated through the re-establishment of the Duchy of the Ashen Coast, the warband established Mug'gol, a sprawling orcish encampment that now acts as the orcish center of command. With little contact outside of Gilneas, the Warband depended on their few remaining Forsaken allies and a trapped val'kyr for common soldiery while the warband themselves maintain the Redirons and Mug'gol. The earldom was freed during the Reclamation of Taenia by the Duchy of the Ashen Coast and the Blades of Greymane, who pushed the remaining Horde forces out and liberated the earldom. It is now under the rule of Lord Alexander Grimwold, son of former earl Taeric Grimwold III, and was later merged with the Earldom of Storm's Crag to form the March of Rignweald. Regions Within Taenia, several viscounties and baronies existed in the earldom's borders. Alongside many lost baronetcies, several regions were prominent above all. Due to the secluded nature of Taenia, the Worgen curse was never able to take root within at any point, with the wolfmen being slaughtered at the Redirons or those afflicted mercilessly put down. Taeriean's Hold Founded in 300 F.A. when Gilnean migration to the south was more prominent, the House of Taeriean established the holdfast of Taeriean's Bulwark. A mighty fort city of several tiers, built into Vincent's Breadth (a mountain named for the then lord); the city was boasted as impregnable. Taeriean's Hold became the capitol of the Earldom after several other families began to move into the region at the House's invitation. Among these families came the House of Grimwold, a prominent family that settled within the lands of Taeriean's Hold as a baronetcy. Over time, the two families became inseparably intertwined with one another. With the earldom established, the Taerieans ruled for several generations until Mortimer Taeriean II, who was unable to father a son. Worried for his line, Mortimer looked to have his only child married into a matrilineal arrangement. This ultimately fell apart when Gwendolyne Taeriean was seduced by Gotrick Grimwold and the two eloped. With Mortimer's death shortly after the marriage, rumored as foul play, Gwendolyne became the last of the Taeriean line. From 645 F.A., the Grimwolds ruled over Taenia as the dominant family. For some, it marked the end of an era, though the Grimwolds would soon prove themselves competent leaders. Stretching out into the rest of the Fallow Crest, the Grimwolds secured key trade agreements as well as mined into Vincent's Breadth. Finding an abundant node of sapphires within the region, Taenia became a trade center for the earldom. They began to secure land outside of Taenia, including masterminding the construction of the Rediron Gates. The Rediron Gates Though not a barony or peer holding, the Rediron gates are considered lands of the ruling earl. A series of fortress gates along the narrow mountain passes, the Redirons were considered an engineering marvel at the time of their construction. Even as the times went on, the Redirons and the consistent upgrades to them remained a protective fixture of great repute. The Redirons consist of the Northern Rediron Gates, which watch over the greater Fallow Crest, and the south Rediron Gates, which watched over the lands south of them in what is now Storm's Crag. Constructed using iron and stone, the Gates and their associated fortresses were noted to rust quickly in the downpours of Gilneas. Despite later improvements of moonsteel and alterac granite, the gates gained the name of the Redirons quickly. This name was made the official one after reaching the ruling Grimwold lord, deeming it fitting as blood of those who would invade would paint the iron red again. Ultimately, the Redirons were able to hold back the onslaught of Forsaken until the Kor'kagal Warband arrived. Unprepared for the improved orcish weapons of war, the southern Redirons were breached and the valley soon fell. In modern times, the Redirons are both garrisoned by the Forsaken and Kor'kagal. Blackfallow Lands of the House of Tyne, Blackfallow was the major food producer within Taenia. Deeply loyal to the Grimwolds after their rise to power, the Tynes often married into the family and were known to hold close positions of power through each incarnation of Grimwold rule. The only Viscounts in the region, the family was led by the cousin of the last Grimwold lord, Gertrude Tyne. When Gilneas was beginning to fall, the Blackfallow was guarded closely by all region; as they would depend upon their harvests to survive isolation. Worshipers of the Old Ways as per their agrarianism, the people of Blackfallow were often at odds with the light Ralertons and their close allies, the Kollivare. Their proximity to the Grimwolds kept them out of many conflicts, though they were often slighted by the Ralertons. When the Orcs and Forsaken came, the Ralertons and Kollivare quickly retreated from the Blackfallow lands after being told to guard the southern Redirons. Without them, Blackfallow was quickly swallowed and destroyed. Lady Tyne was rumored to have been held captive by the orcs, set before various acts of sadism and summarily executed. It is unknown what actually happened to Lady Tyne, but the rumors are likely not far from the truth. Kollwreathe Despite being a Barony, the Kollwreathe was the second strongest region in Taenia. Formed by the Kollivares, a family of knights that followed the Taerieans, the Kollivare never agreed well with the Grimwolds. When the Grimwolds eventually came into power, the Kollivare were known to be vehemently opposed to them. Having declared several internal wars within, the Kollivares were kept from total execution by the amount of sway they held in markets. Holding the Koll Mines, where a fair amount of silver came from, the Kollivare were able to retain the position as the only house able to oppose the Grimwolds during the height of their rule. While acknowledging Grimwold supremacy, the Kollivare often attempted to undermine the Grimwolds at any given opportunity. When relations waned between the Grimwolds and the Ralertons, the Kollivare were able to sweep the Ralertons into close a alliance with them and against the Grimwolds by way of siding against the Tynes. When the Horde came into Taenia, Kollivare and Ralerton sided with the Tynes and Grimwold at the Redirons to hold them off. After it was evident there would be no stopping them at the gates, the Kollivares sounded a retreat; driving the Ralertons with them. With their retreat, the Tynes were slaughtered while the Kollivares attempted to hold out with the two other remaining families in the Bulwark. Attempting a flanking attack, the Kollivares were defeated by the Kor'kagal warbands. Butchered, Torick Kollivare was raised into the Forsaken army. With a fair amount of his men now raised, Kollivare swapped loyalties quickly and became a leading commander on the attack on the Bulwark. With old familial hatreds burning within his undead heart, Torick led the butchering of Taeriean's Bulwark and captured the last Grimwolds; apparently executing and raising Earl Taeric. In the aftermath, Torick became the leader of the undead in the following years, revitalizing his region in undeath and embracing the Forsaken way of life; if only because it had brought his family's drive to destroy the Grimwolds to fruition. Tolliver's Folly Once Tolliver's Claim, the region belonged to the House of Hansgrade, a rival to the Taerieans. Situated across from the Taeriean Hold, the Hansgrades were founded by Lord Tolliver Hansgrade. A boastful man, he declared war on the Taerieans towards the end of his life and was defeated. Executed publicly by Sir Benedict Ralerton, the knight was rewarded with Hansgrade's daughter and his lands by conquest. Forming the House of Ralerton, the Ralertons became an enforcer house for the Grimwolds. Within their lands came most of the region's iron and crafting supplies, maximizing production of such things through their mines and lumber operations. Overtime, the family became deeply religious and often were seen as the regional leaders of the Holy Light. This put them at odds with Blackfallow, an Old Ways agrarian region, who had a closer tie to the Grimwolds than the Ralertons. This strained the relationship the Ralertons had with the Grimwolds, leading them to eventually form ties with the Kollivares, a family that once opposed the Grimwolds. While the Ralertons retained a sense of loyalty to the Grimwolds, it had faded over the years and by the time of Taenia's fall, they were a liege and vassal relationship rather than the right hands Sir Benedict had once been for the Taerieans. Their refusal to work with the Tynes was legendary, often finding one completely separated from the other in terms of everything but necessary trade. The Ralertons were defeated during the onset of Forsaken reinforcements for the Kor'kagal and Benedict's Cross, their capitol, raided and defiled. Shrines to the light were burned and women and children were murdered on altars to defile them. As a final blow, after the Ralerton host was defeated, the lords of the house were executed and later raised as undead. What remained of the Ralerton family fled with their forces from the southern Redirons out of Blackfallow to hold out in the Bulwark. When this failed as well, the Ralertons were likely all slaughtered and raised. Horde Lands Founded upon the ruins of Taenia, the orcs of the Kor'kagal Warband and their forsaken allies found it important to establish some sort of hold in the area. After harsh winds destroyed their ships, keeping them from leaving, and the Front and Ashen Coast boxing them in; the Horde established a series of holdings. Led by the Grimsheer Clan, a clan borne of the Shattered Hand and Blackrock, the Orcs established Mug'gol, a fortress city upon the ruins of the region. Named for Warlord Mugthor Grimsheer, the orcs of the Kor'kagal have been separated from the rest of the Horde for years. The following regions represent what has become of Taenia in the aftermath. Mug'gol Built upon the ruins of Taeriean's Hold, Mug'gol is an orcish war city that acts as Taenia's new center of command. Dominated by the Grimsheer clan, the Kor'kagal hold the most sway within. Though Forsaken population within is present, the city is where most of the orcs trapped in Taenia have begun their makeshift life. With some orcs taking a more civilian lifestyle, most of the Kor'kagal have remained militant. Mug'gol was built upon one of the fallen baronetcies, the original home of the Grimwolds. As a result, its fixture within Taenia is entirely unique in that it is not based around a ruin or Forsaken building styles. Given the situation of Taenia, the orcs have begun to even breed; children beginning to sprout in the city. Grimsheer Hold Home to the Grimsheer Clan, the Grimsheer Hold is a massive fortress that overlooks Mug'gol. Within are the elite of the Kor'kagal and is the seat of Warlord Mugthor Grimsheer. Set apart from the rest of the Kor'kagal, the black skinned orcs of the Grimsheer are often far more brutal than their kin. Their warlord, seated upon a throne lined with human flesh, is known to be particularly sadistic. As the center of command, Grimsheer has ironically taken a point from the fallen Bulwark. It is multi tiered in its construction, with the Warlord's chambers and seat of power at the very top. Kollspire Formerly the Kollwreathe, the Kollspire has become the center of undeath in the region. After the Kollivares were made undead by Svolyana the Chilled, Torick Kollivare led a crusade against the remaining living within Taenia. Butchering scores of survivors, Kollivare eventually brought back townships into Kollspire to work as slaves to construct his land in the dark image of the Forsaken. When the Kollspire was completed, Kollivare took full control of the undead population alongside Svolyana, declaring Kollspire the capitol of undead Taenia. Alongside the Warlord, Kollivare saw to the consolidation of power within Taenia to the Horde. Within the Kollspire, Kollivare has constructed a dark reflection of what was once the Kollwreathe center of power, taking points from the fallen Bulwark. In the center of the city lies the Spire, Torick's seat of power. A sprawling tower that allows him to watch over the lands that he delivered into the hands of his own killers. Deeply sadistic in death, Torick took the remaining living slaves and massed them into an area known as the Dredge, lands once belonging to the Ralertons. The Dredge Once Tolliver's Folly, the Dredge is what remains of the Ralerton lands. Plague bombed during the Horde invasion, the Ralerton lands were left in a poor state after the undead had finished with it. Even after the Horde seized control of Taenia, the Dredge was left relatively unusable aside from its mines; the trees having died from the blight infesting the land. When the undead Ralertons became sentient after the blood craze, they went insane. Cut off from their vaunted Light, the Ralertons were placed in pseudo-captivity by the Kollivares within Dredgehold; a castle with only two exits guarded by orcs. Within the hold, the Ralertons rage in their captive forms, calling upon the light only to feel its burn, but unable to be slain as the Kollivares forbid it. With the hope that the Ralertons would eventually accept their new forms, the keep is more a prison than a reward. In an act of sadism, the remaining living human slaves of Taenia have been hauled into the sickening lands of the Dredge. "Lorded over" by the crazed Ralertons, the human slaves have been placed into internment camps where the Kollivares began a breeding program; hoping to use the humans within to make more undead or slaves when they grow older. The region is heavily patrolled by Kollivare knights and orcish raiders, ensuring that none of the humans are able to escape. Grimwold's Fall Formerly Taeriean's Bulwark, Grimwold's Fall was renamed as such after the House of Grimwold was defeated. Seized by the undead traitor house of the Kollivares, the land's denizens were raised en masse by Svolyana the Chilled, the only lesser Val'kyr in service to the Forsaken in the region. As the city was destroyed, Torick Kollivare executed and raised Taeric Grimwold, forcing him to watch from undeath and in chains as his city burned. When the destruction had been wrought, Taeric was left to watch as the Forsaken rebuilt the city in their dark image and Svolyana was placed in leadership. With the Kollivares using this opportunity to make their own region more prominent, Grimwold's Fall was left as a shadow of its former self. Deemed a secondary capitol, the area is used mostly for working and production. Within the center of the city was once the prison for Taeric Grimwold, though he was reported having escaped after loyalists to him in undeath freed him. Rumors spread that Taeric's heirs were never slain, and are instead held in sadistic captivity within the Fall as living prisoners by the Kollivares. The Writhing Marsh Formerly Blackfallow, the lands of the region suddenly spoiled and soured with the death of the Tynes. What was once a sprawling land of golden fields and produce is now a dreadful waste of land and mush; swamp taking most of the area. A dense mist hangs low over the swamp, leaving it near impossible to pass through without aid. As it surrounds the Southern Redirons, the orcish patrols often skate along the borders rather than fully going through the marsh. Reports from within claim that bog beasts and warped creatures have taken root within, with wailing horrors in the shape of mutilated women taking travelers away. Given the nature of Taenia, it is impossible to say if these are accurate. Within the heart of the marsh lays the Tynehart Clearing, the former seat of the House of Tyne. After the Orcish raids, the land was abandoned when the fields suddenly degraded into a marsh. It is believed the region is haunted by the spirits of the slaughtered and is avoided by all factions within the area. Tynehart Clearing was left untouched after its raiding, likely still remaining much the same today. Families The House of Grimwold The House of Ralerton The House of Taeriean: Defunct The House of Tyne: Defunct The House of Hansgrade: Defunct The House of Kollivare: Defunct Category:Places Category:Gilneas Locations Category:Fallow Crest Category:Taenia Category:Rignweald